Takeaways from Colts GM Chris Ballard speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine

^{* Ballard arrives at 16:08 in the tweet embedded above.}

Biggest Takeaways:

1. Micahel Pittman Jr. will be a Colt next season 

To the surprise of no one, the very first question of Ballard's press conference was about whether or not the team plans to use the franchise tag on Michael Pittman Jr. And to answer that question, he stated the following:

"Here's what I'll tell ya, we've had conversations with his agent who is very good. His agent has been doing it for a long time; he's very good at what he does. We will work hard to get a deal done. It's (the franchise tag) a tool we have. I'm not going to say we are going to use it, but I'm not going to say we are. Hopefully, we can come to an agreement and find some compromise on a deal"

Later, he would release further details on where things stand between the team and Pittman Jr., with Nate Atkins of the Indy Star sharing the following update. 

While this update is what many expected to be the case, Ballard making this official puts to bed any chance of Pittman Jr. leaving in free agency. For more updates on this situation, check out my article on the subject here. 

2. The Colts' priority during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft

Heading into the Scouting Combine, I was already leaning toward a pass catcher to be the Colts' selection in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. And after listening to Ballard speak, I feel even stronger about that being the direction they end up going. The depth in this class adds to that, of course, with there being five to eight WRs who could hear their names called during the first round of the draft. And that's not even including an elite TE prospect like Brock Bowers, which I think they will seriously consider. Ballard spoke about his WR room last season by sharing the following. 

"Losing Dulin (WR Ashton Dulin), I did a poor job. We were manufacturing that you saw it with the practice squad move-ups. Dulin was a huge loss just because he gives you so much, not only on special teams. His ability to play inside and outside (at WR), if you have to start him for a stretch, he can do it. It was an ACL on grass in training camp, a non-contact, just a freak deal. I have to do a better job helping Reggie (WR coach Reggie Wayne) and the offensive staff. Nothing against the players we had in their playing but it was a rotation all year and that's hard that makes it hard on the coaches I don't blame them I blame myself for that one." 

This answer was really eye-opening for me. He didn't speak on the play of the rotation at WR. He instead spoke about his regret of not having a better option on their roster at the time of WR Ashton Dulin's injury. To add to my speculation, Ballard shared that he already has a specific position in mind for the Colts' first-round pick. 

Like Atkins says in his tweet above, we all can start guessing what position Ballard is referencing. I think there are multiple things that Ballard has said since the season ended that lead me to believe he is targeting a pass catcher. Some things that come to mind are Ballard's regret of not having his roster prepared for an injury in the WR room and his comments after the season about wanting to make their offense more explosive. 

3. His thoughts on this year's WR class

Many view this year's WR group as the strongest position in the 2024 NFL Draft class. Ballard was asked his thoughts on the group, and this is what he had to say. 

"A lot of depth at every level, matter of fact. It's strong, it's a really strong class. I almost compare it to the year Pitt came out. That year was really good with Jefferson, Ayiuk, and Pitt, then the upper part of the draft. I think CeeDee Lamb was in that draft. It's comparable" 

That high praise from Ballard only adds to my belief that we will see the Colts add a WR or another elite pass catcher early in this year's draft. If I'm wrong and it doesn't happen in round one, like Ballard said, this class has incredible depth from top to bottom. This would give them multiple chances to add a real contributor to their roster. 

4. His mindset at CB

I asked Ballard if the team starting two rookie CBs for most of the season makes him want to focus on adding a veteran to the room instead of another young CB in the draft. And here is his answer. 

"Not neccenarily no. I think it's got to fall your way. I thought Kenny Moore was a really good vet player. He had a good year, we'd like to have him back we'll see how it plays out in free agency. But no, I mean look they are going to live through their lumps, that's part of it. I thought they both advanced really well. I thought Jones, I mean look Jones all he did was get out there and battle each and every week. And with Juju it's about staying healthy, Juju's gotta remain healthy" 

My first takeaway on this answer is Ballard sharing that the team wants veteran Kenny Moore II back in the fold next season without any prompting. This isn't all that surprising. After a down season in 2022, Moore II bounced back in 2023 with a strong year. And via Moore's presence in the community of Indianapolis, I would expect he prefers to return to the Colts as well. 

My next takeaway may seem strange, but it's just a feeling I have. Let's call it a hunch. Ballard may have answered no to the question, but how he talked about Brents and Jones and brought up Moore II unprompted, I find it hard to believe that they will target CB with their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. I get the impression that the Colts want their young duo of Brents and Jones to continue to develop by playing meaningful snaps. Therefore, I think if a significant move at CB were to happen, it would be for a rotational veteran CB or a veteran starting CB on the older side, which would allow Brents and Jones to still log a solid snap count in 2024. 

5. The progress during Anthony Richardson's rehab

The Colts were devasted when rookie QB Anthony Richardson sustained a season-ending shoulder injury during the team's Week 5 matchup with the Tennessee Titans. Ballard was asked if he was happy with where his QB is currently at in his rehab. 

"Really happy about where he's at. He starting throwing he's on a rehab program. I lived through the last one, okay and I learned a lot of lessons learning through the last one. Forgive me for being a little cautious. I know Anthony's made some statements that It's important to be ahead of schedule. But we are here to pull the reigns to make sure we dont get too ahead of schedule and we are staying with whatever the doctors are telling us. But he's in good shape, he's throwing, he's got a good throwing program, got good people working with him. I'm encouraged about where he's at, and where he's going." 

Ts confirms the early reports about Richardson being ahead of schedule in his recovery. I also think Ballard referencing the Andrew Luck situation is important to note. Ballard seems to believe the Colts handled that situation poorly. And he wants to do everything in his power to make sure they do right by their QB and his rehab this time around.